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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29216484">Hellman's Gate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danni49/pseuds/Danni49'>Danni49</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ships of the Northern Fleet, SotNF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Boats and Ships, Pirates, Sky Pirates, Space Pirates, Steampunk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:01:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,520</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29216484</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danni49/pseuds/Danni49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>11 years before the TV show, the thrilling backstory of Admiral Hagen Hellman and his crew back when they focused on seafaring rather than flight. Hellman and his crew struggle with the internal power structure of the Necronauts. Meanwhile, young Annie, feeling alienated by her crew, considers defecting to the Northern Fleet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hellman's Gate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The waves crashed violently against the Blazed Demon, Captain Hellman’s loyal ship of nearly 150 years. As they did, the water steamed as if on a cast-iron griddle, which, in a way, it was. The black iron of the ship’s hull had enough heat to scorch a man’s skin. By all accounts, it should be way too heavy to float, but it did nevertheless, leaving a trail of steam rising from the sea it traversed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mave!” Captain Hellman called, “I thought you said we’d be in port by Twilight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Sailing Master Maverick Hall hustled up from the middeck and stood in attention to Hellman, no doubt intimidated by the man’s scorched red skin, which no one ever dared ask about. “Sir, we’ve had to reroute for a storm around Head-Bone Bay. We’ll arrive within the week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hellman stroked his singed grey beard. “Mave, how many times have storms stopped us before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“None, sir,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what makes you think this time should be different?” the grizzled Captain asked stoically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It shouldn’t, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye, we agree then. Now, reroute us through the storm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maverick nodded and went back down to the middeck. He looked at the map, intently sketching out different routes through the storm. When he found one, he grabbed the map and carried it up to the wheel, where he set along the new course. He shouted “Haye, Mates! Rig sails!” All the crew on deck followed his command, pulling the ropes to align the sails with the wind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cabin girl, Annie, timidly approached Maverick with her own map. “Can I take a look at the course you charted?” she asked. Mave handed the parchment to her, and pointed to the line he’d drawn on it. “You sure this’ll work?” she asked, sceptical. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t matter,” Maverick answered, “It’s Captain’s orders.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Lightning was now visible ahead, and the dull sound of distant thunder with it. The crew braced itself. Cannonballs were repurposed to hold down cargo, since there was no way they would run into another ship making this route.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Swals, admittedly, was nervous. He would never say it out loud, but with the way he was shaking he didn’t need to. He frantically searched his quarters for his amethyst ring, a gift his mother gave him before he set out to sea. As far as he was concerned, that was the real treasure the ship carried. Though he hadn’t worn it in well over a year, the ring slid easily onto his finger, at just the right size to not fall off or slide around. Instantly he was calmed, unsure if the ring had had genuine power of it it was just a placebo, or if there really was a difference between the two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made his way to the top deck, ready to keep watch for rocks. The crew was singing the regular shanty, so Swals joined.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We travel through the distant waves</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Hi-ho, we burn on through</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Where dangers crawl but riches wait</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Hi-ho, we burn on through</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Burn on through, away, away</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>O Burn on through away</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>We face so many dangers new</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Hi-ho, we burn on through</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The shantyman was right about one thing, they certainly faced a new danger ahead. The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Blazed Demon</span>
  </em>
  <span> had now fully crossed the threshold of the storm. Steam clouded the air as the ship seared through crashing waves. It was hard to breathe. One crew member-- Swals’s best friend Jake Hatter, leaned over the edge to puke, but a violent jump through a wave knocked him overboard. The stern grimace on his face made it clear that Hellman had no interest in saving him. Swals took a look at his ring, then back to the man overboard, and knew what he had to do. In one motion, he ran to the edge and jumped off, splashing into the uneasy sea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boiling water was painful, but oddly it didn’t burn Swals’ skin, or Hatter’s as far as he could tell. As much as Hellman liked to claim the ship’s properties were perfectly natural, this was obviously not the case. Swals swam towards Hatter, struggling against the raging pulls of the waves. When he reached him, the ship was already heading off away from them. They were left behind. Stuck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just then a bolt of lightning struck the ship’s mast, burning the main sail. The current flowed through the black steel of the hull, piercing the water and emanating a repusing wave, which knocked the two even further behind. Suddenly, the ship came to a stop. Captain Hellman must have realised that Swals was too useful to be left behind. The two swam as fast as they could to reunite with the crew, kicking off a rock they passed. They finally reached the ladder, and were ready to climb up. The crew cheered and started to raise the anchor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hatter climbed first, for Swals knew he was still dizzy. He guided him up the rungs of the ladder, and hoisted him over the top. Suddenly a flintlock was aimed right at Swals’s head. “Gotta hand it to ya, Swalls,” Beckard Jones said, holding the gun, “Yer a brave one. Maybe a bit too brave for yer own good.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Swals gulped. This was it. That bastard Jones was making his power play, hoping to climb the power ladder. And it was at Swals’s expense. He discreetly slid his ring off, dropping it silently into Hatter’s pocket. He took a breath, and resigned himself to death. At least he would meet his end while doing some good. That had to count for something, right?</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>There was only one person Beckard Jones feared, and that was Captain Hagen Hellman. It was this fear which motivated him; he wanted Hellman’s respect more than anything else. That’s why he made the move he did the previous day-- he hoped that the captain would respect the tenacity and the drive for power. He always did say, “Serve yourself, the rest are just your tools.” It seemed, however, Swals was a valuable tool. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Captain,” Jones pleaded, “I messed up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hellman’s cold scowl shifted to a glare of rage, “Yer damn right you messed up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know how important Swals was to you, he’s just a sailor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do ya know how many sailing masters ‘ve left my crew?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m guessing a fair bit,” Jones said, with his eyes fixed on the captain’s maroon boots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was a rhetorical question, Beckard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, sir,” he apologized, “I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You cost me my best way-setter. By all accounts, I should throw ya in the brig. Or worse, make ya walk the plank,” Hellman’s grey eyebrows relaxed into a more natural position, “lucky fer you, you’re valuable too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beckard was relieved, “Thank you sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t ask for yer thanks,” Hellman interrupted, “Now, I can’t let any others go thinkin’ that killing each other’s the way to my approval, can I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, I’m sure you’ll understand why yer on swabbin’ duty for the fortnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand completely, sir,” Beckard was relieved at the relative leniency shown, “The floorboards will shine, I swear it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I like to hear. Get on wit’ it then. And send Annie in here.” Beckard did exactly as he was asked: he told Annie to meat with Hellman, and began to swab the deck. It was humiliating, but he knew that it would pay off in the end. He knew that at some level Hellman respected his move. At the very least, now Swals was out of the way.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Annie had only ever heard stories of Captain Hellman, and seen him from a distance. She never spoke to him directly. So naturally, she was terrified of him. She had excitement for the week after trying to navigate the vicious storm when Swals jumped. She didn’t even get enough time to process his death before this meeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I in trouble?” she asked as she entered Hellman’s private quarters for the first time, “Cause I feel like I’m in trouble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hellman chuckled, which Annie didn’t even know he was capable of. “No, Annie, yer not in trouble,” he reassured her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay good, the last few days have been enough drama.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye, hope yer taken Swals’s death okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haven’t really gotten the chance to fully realise it yet. Stuff moves so fast around here!” Annie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll drink to that,” Hellman said, surprisingly relaxed. “Annie, yer actually in the opposite of trouble.” She looked confused, so Hellman continued. “With Swals gone, we need a new sailing master.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was shocked. This was a huge opportunity, but Annie wasn’t sure she was ready for it yet. In fact, she was sure she wasn’t ready. “With all due respect, sir, I’ve only been learning for a few months!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a few months more than anyone else on board has.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had a point there. “Alright, I’ll do my best,” she said, “but my time here is supposed to end later this year, my father will be waiting for me. Can you try to find a new navigator by then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have my word, Miss Annie.”</span>
</p>
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